Television signal recording

ABSTRACT

A television signal recording apparatus comprises a recording unit that makes recordings of television signals and stores metadata representing information in respect of the recordings including the channel and the recording time. A graphical display of made recordings and scheduled recordings is produced in which graphical objects representing respective recordings are arranged in two dimensions, ordered in a first dimension on the basis of the channels and ordered in a second dimension on the basis of the recording times. In the second dimension, the graphical objects are arranged along a time axis which includes discontinuities at times when no recording is present, the discontinuities being graphically represented by graphical symbols that are different according to the period of the discontinuity. An electronic program guide is produced with a similar format, the programs being filtered to select programs and discontinuities being present at times where there is no selected program.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of and claims the benefit ofpriority under 35 USC §120 from U.S. application Ser. No. 12/138,058,filed Jun. 12, 2008, and claims the benefit of priority under 35 USC§119 from the U.K. patent Application No. GB0711351.7, filed Jun. 12,2007, the entire contents of each of which is incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to digital television and in particular toa television signal recording apparatus capable of making recordings oftelevision signals and to a receiver-decoder apparatus capable ofreceiving and decoding a television signal.

(2) Description of Related Art

In particular the present invention is concerned with the user interfacefor such a television signal recording apparatus or receiver-decoderapparatus. The user interface is provided to allow the user to controlthe operation of the television signal recording apparatus. Numerousaspects of the operation are typically so controlled, notably in thecase of a television signal recording apparatus the control of therecording itself and in the case of a receiver-decoder apparatus thecontrol of the reception and decoding of the television signal.

One of the difficulties faced is allowing the user to appreciate whatrecordings have been made. As the technology of television signalrecording apparatuses improves, for example with the use of highcapacity storage media such as hard disk drives, increasing numbers ofrecordings are being made. This can result in the television signalrecording apparatus storing large numbers of recordings. The usertypically will not have knowledge of all the recordings. The recordingsmay have been made automatically or by other users, or may simply havebeen forgotten. This fundamentally affects the use of the televisionsignal recording apparatus. In the absence of knowledge of a givenrecording, the user can fail to watch a recording that would otherwisebe desired.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The first aspect of the present invention is concerned with this aspectof the user interface.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provideda television signal recording apparatus comprising:

a recording unit capable of making recordings of television signals, thetelevision signal recording apparatus being arranged to store metadatarepresenting information in respect of the recordings including thechannel from which the recording was made and the recording time atwhich the recording was made; and

a recordings display generator arranged to generate a signal for displayon a display device of a graphical display of the recordings, thegraphical display comprising graphical objects representing respectiverecordings and arranged in two dimensions, the graphical objects beingordered in a first dimension on the basis of the channels represented bythe metadata in respect of the respective recordings and ordered in asecond dimension on the basis of the recording times represented by themetadata in respect of the respective recordings, along a time axiswhich includes discontinuities at times when no recording has been made,the discontinuities being graphically represented.

Further according to the first aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a corresponding method of operating a television signalrecording apparatus.

Thus a graphical display representing the recordings is provided. In thegraphical display, the graphical objects representing respectiverecordings are arranged in two dimensions on the basis of the channelsof the recordings and recording times of the recordings. The channelsand recording times are extracted from the metadata stored in respect ofthe recordings.

As a result of the two-dimensional representation of the recordings, theuser is better able to appreciate precisely what recordings have beenmade and hence are available for watching. As the recordings are sortedby channel in one dimension and time in another dimension, the user isable to understand better what recordings are present. This improves theoperation of the television signal recording apparatus because the userhas a better chance of locating a preferred recording for viewing.

Another, similar difficulty faced is allowing the user to appreciatewhat recordings have been scheduled. Typically the television signalrecording apparatus will include a recordings controller arranged tomaintain a list of scheduled recordings scheduled to be recorded atrespective times and to operate the recording unit to record therecordings at the scheduled times. However, as the technology oftelevision signal recording apparatuses improves, for example with theuse of high capacity storage media such as hard disk drives, increasingnumbers of recordings are being made. This can result in the televisionsignal recording apparatus the recording list containing large numbersof recordings scheduled to be made. This in turn can make it difficultfor the user to manage the recordings. Consequently the user may havedifficulties such as failing to record desired programs.

Furthermore, in the graphical display, the graphical objectsrepresenting respective recordings are arranged along a time axis.Discontinuities at times when no recording is scheduled to be made aregraphically represented. As a result of the representation ofdiscontinuities, the user is better able to appreciate precisely whatrecordings have been made. This is because the user can appreciate whererecordings have been made at separated times. Consequently the operationof the television signal recording apparatus is improved because theuser is better able to manage the recording of multiple recordings.

In some embodiments, the discontinuities are graphically represented bya graphical symbol positioned between graphical objects representingrespective recordings, which graphical symbols are different accordingto the period of the discontinuity. As a result of, the user is betterable to appreciate precisely what recordings have been made, because theuser can appreciate the period of the discontinuities. Consequently theoperation of the television signal recording apparatus is improvedbecause the user is better able to manage the recording of multiplerecordings.

The second aspect of the present invention is concerned with this aspectof the user interface.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provideda television signal recording apparatus comprising:

a recording unit capable of making recordings of television signals;

a recordings controller arranged to maintain a list of scheduledrecordings scheduled to be recorded at respective times and to operatethe recording unit to record the recordings at the scheduled times; and

a recordings display generator arranged to generate a signal for displayon a display device of a graphical display of the scheduled recordings,the graphical display comprising graphical objects representingrespective scheduled recordings and arranged, on the basis of theirrespective times, along a time axis which includes discontinuities attimes when no recording is scheduled to be made, the discontinuitiesbeing graphically represented.

Further according to the second aspect of the present invention, thereis provided a corresponding method of operating a television signalrecording apparatus.

Thus a graphical display representing the scheduled recordings isprovided. In the graphical display, the graphical objects representingrespective recordings are arranged along a time axis. Discontinuities attimes when no recording is scheduled to be made are graphicallyrepresented. As a result of the representation of discontinuities, theuser is better able to appreciate precisely what recordings have beenscheduled. This is because the user can appreciate where recordings havebeen scheduled at separated times. This is particularly advantageous,for example, to illustrate the scheduling of a series of recordingswhich are related, but has general benefit for any type of recordings.Consequently the operation of the television signal recording apparatusis improved because the user is better able to manage the recording ofmultiple recordings.

In some embodiments, the discontinuities are graphically represented bya graphical symbol positioned between graphical objects representingrespective recordings, which graphical symbols are different accordingto the period of the discontinuity. As a result of, the user is betterable to appreciate precisely what recordings have been scheduled,because the user can appreciate the period of the discontinuities.Consequently the operation of the television signal recording apparatusis improved because the user is better able to manage the recording ofmultiple recordings.

Another difficulties faced is allowing the user to appreciate whatprograms are scheduled to be broadcast. The numbers of channels andprograms available for watching is now high. In principle this gives auser great choice, but in practice it can be very common for a user tofail to notice a program that would be desired to be watched orrecorded. This fundamentally affects the use of a receiver-decoderapparatus. To inform the user about programs scheduled to be broadcast,there are used electronic program guides generated by thereceiver-decoder apparatus from signalling data transmitted as part ofthe broadcast television signal. Such an electronic program guidetypically comprises graphical objects representing the selected programsarranged along a time axis for each channel. However the shear number ofprograms on multiple channels can still make it difficult for a user toidentify a program of interest.

The third aspect of the present invention is concerned with this aspectof the user interface.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provideda receiver-decoder apparatus comprising:

a receiver-decoder circuit capable of receiving and decoding broadcasttelevision signals of different services to generate therefrom a videosignal for display of an image on a display device; and

an EPG generator operative to extract signalling data from the broadcasttelevision signal received by the receiver-decoder circuit, thesignalling data indicating programs scheduled to be broadcast,

the EPG generator being operative to filter the programs scheduled to bebroadcast to select programs meeting a predetermined criteria and togenerate a signal for display on said display device of an electronicprogram guide comprising graphical objects representing the selectedprograms arranged along a time axis which includes discontinuities attimes when no selected program is scheduled to be broadcast, thediscontinuities being graphically represented by a graphical symbolpositioned between graphical objects representing respective recordings,said graphical symbols being different according to the period of thediscontinuity.

Further according to the third aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a corresponding method of operating a television signalrecording apparatus.

Thus the electronic program guide can be filtered. This allows programsto be selected according to some criteria, for example whether theprogram falls within a predetermined genre. In the displayed electronicprogram guide, the graphical objects representing respective recordingsare arranged along a time axis. Discontinuities at times when program isselected are graphically represented by a graphical symbol positionedbetween graphical objects representing respective recordings, whichgraphical symbols are different according to the period of thediscontinuity. As a result, the user is better able to appreciateprecisely the nature and timings of the programs selected according tothe criteria used in the filtering. This is because the user canappreciate where programs are available at separated times and what thelength of the separation is. This is particularly advantageous, forexample, to illustrate the scheduling of a series of programs which arerelated, but has general benefit for any type of recordings.Consequently the operation of the television signal recording apparatusis improved because the user is better able to select programs forreception and/or recording.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a recording apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a picture of a displayed recording list generated by therecording apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a picture of a displayed electronic program guide;

FIG. 4 is a picture of a displayed, filtered electronic program guide;and

FIGS. 5 to 7 are drawings of graphical symbols that may be displayed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way ofnon-limitative example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a recording apparatus 1 comprising a receiver-decodercircuit 2 capable of receiving and decoding broadcast television signalsin accordance with the DVB standards and a recording unit 3 capable ofmaking recordings of the decoded television signals. The decodedtelevision signals may also be supplied to an output interface 4 forsupply to a television apparatus 5 which displays an image on a displaydevice 6. As an alternative, the display device 6 could be integrated inthe recording apparatus 1.

Optionally, the recording apparatus 1 may include pluralreceiver-decoder circuits 2 able to simultaneously receive and decodedifferent broadcast television signals.

The recording unit 3 may be of any type and capable of making recordingson any type of storage medium which may be integral or replaceable.Typically the recording unit 3 will be a hard drive that is integral tothe apparatus or a drive for recording on an optical or magneto-opticalrecording medium such as a DVD. Alternative recording media such assemiconductor memory may also be used.

The receiver-decoder circuit 2 is arranged to receive broadcasttelevision signals in accordance with the DVB standard. The nature ofthese broadcast television signals will be now described.

According to the DVB standard, what a user might normally call a“channel” is known as a “service”. For example, in the United Kingdom,BBC1 would be one service and BBC2 would be another service. Alsoaccording to the DVB standard, what a user might normally call a“program” is known as an “event”. These occupy individual time slotswithin a service. For example, in the UK, an episode of the news program“Newsnight” would be one event and an episode of the soap opera“Eastenders” would represent another event. Each service is therefore aconcatenation of television events.

According to the DVB standard, the broadcast television signal comprisesa stream of packets of data multiplexed together and carried modulatedonto a radio frequency (RF) carrier signal in a single RF channel. Thestream is sometimes referred to as a channel because it corresponds to atransmission channel, although the invention is defined with referenceto a “channel” using the term as commonly understood by the user tocover generically a series of events or programs.

The stream contains packets of video signal data, packets of audiosignal data and packets of signalling data. Each packet of signallingdata is associated with a particular table, the arrangement and contentof which is in accordance with those defined in EN 300 468.

As defined in ISO/IEC 13818-1 and EN 300 468, each of the signallingdata packets has a packet identifier (PID) which designates it as apacket of signalling data, rather than a packet of audio or visual data.The signalling data is arranged in packets, and each packet ofsignalling data is associated with a particular table, the arrangementand content of which is in accordance with those defined in ISO/IEC13818-1 and EN 300 468. Each signalling data packet has a tableidentifier, which designates which table the packet belongs to. Eachsignalling data packet also contains a “payload”, which contains dataabout, for example, the network, the services and/or the events. Theprecise items of data that are stored in a packet depend on which tablethe packet belongs to, and details of which items of data are given inpackets belonging to a particular table can be found in ISO/IEC 13818-1and EN 300 468. For present purposes it is noted that the signallingdata includes the EPG signalling data which can be extracted for use asthe content of an EPG, including:

a Service Description Table (SDT) which gives information on serviceswhich are being transmitted, including the names of the services; and

an Event Information Table (EIT) which gives information on the eventsin respect of each service, including the names and times of therespective events.

The receiver-decoder circuit 2 of the recording apparatus 1 will now bedescribed in detail. In this example, the broadcast digital televisionsignal is a terrestrial signal transmitted on a radio frequency (RF)carrier. The recording apparatus 1 is connected to an external antenna 7through a connector 8 in a conventional manner.

The receiver-decoder circuit 2 comprises a receiver circuit 9 to whichthe RF television broadcast signal received by the antenna 7 issupplied. The receiver circuit 9 comprises an RF tuner 10 which extractsthe desired broadcast signal and a demodulator 11 which demodulates thebroadcast signal to extract a multiplexed signal of a single broadcastchannel.

As is conventional for broadcast digital television, each broadcastchannel carries a multiplexed signal in which a plurality of videostreams and associated audio and data streams, commonly referred to asservices, are multiplexed together. The video stream extracted by thedemodulator 11 is supplied to a demultiplexer 12. The demultiplexer 12demultiplexes the packets of data in the video stream to extract one ormore video signals, one or more audio signals and signalling data.

The video signal extracted by the demultiplexer 12 is supplied to adecoder 13 for decoding the video stream in accordance with the MPEG-2standard. The decoder 13 outputs an uncompressed video signal which isoutput as the output of the receiver-decoder circuit 2.

As an alternative, the receiver-decoder circuit 2 may be absent from therecording apparatus 1. In this case an equivalent receiver-decodercircuit is implemented in a separate apparatus such as a set-top box,and the received, decoded television signal is supplied to the recordingapparatus 1.

The recording apparatus 1 includes a controller 14 which controls theoperation of the components of the recording apparatus 1. For example,the controller 14 controls the receiver-decoder circuit 2 to select thebroadcast video signal of a desired service and controls the recordingoperation of the recording unit 3 to selectively record the televisionsignal output by the receiver-decoder circuit 2.

The controller 14 is implemented by a microprocessor running anappropriate computer program. The controller 14 has associated therewitha RAM 15 and a non-volatile memory 18 such as a flash memory. Thecomputer program may be stored in the recording unit 3 or thenon-volatile memory 18. The computer program may be pre-installed or maybe transmitted to the recording apparatus 1 as a broadcast signal, thisbeing a known technique for upgrading of software of a televisionreceiving equipment.

The recording apparatus 1 also has an IR (infra-red) receiver unit 16capable of receiving signals from a remote commander 17. The remotecommander 17 is operated by a user to provide user-inputs to therecording apparatus 1.

The decoder 13 includes a graphics generator 19. The controller 14controls the graphics generator 19 to generate a video signalrepresenting screens as part of a user interface. The user interfacescreens may be superimposed on or mixed with the video signal output bythe decoder 13, so that they are displayed on the display device 6 ofthe television apparatus 5. The user operates the remote commander 17based on the user interface screens. The controller 14 is responsive tothe user-inputs from the remote commander 17 to control the operation ofthe recording apparatus 1.

As part of the user interface, the controller 14 generates and causesdisplay of an electronic program guide (EPG). The content of the EPG inrespect of the broadcast television signals which may be received by thereceiver-decoder circuit 2 is derived from the EPG signalling dataoutput by the demultiplexer 12. The controller 14 extracts this EPGsignalling data from the signalling data packets output by thedemultiplexer 12 and uses it to populate the EPG. Thus the EPG includesa list of services available for reception by the receiver-decodercircuit 2 and events in respect of those services. The controller 14stores data representing the EPG in the memory 15.

In response to a user-input from the remote commander 17 selecting theEPG, the controller 14 controls the graphics generator 19 to generate avideo signal representing the EPG stored in the memory 15 as a type ofuser interface screen. An example of an EPG as displayed is shown inFIG. 3. The individual programs are represented by rectangular blocks30, although in general any other graphical object could be used. Theblocks contain the name of the program. The blocks 30 are arranged intwo dimensions.

In a first dimension (horizontally in FIG. 3), the blocks 30 are orderedon the basis of the times at which the programs are scheduled to bebroadcast. The time axis is indicated by a scale 31 displayedgraphically along the top of the display. In this example the scale 31specifies the date and specifies the time in half-hourly chunks, but ingeneral the time axis could be displayed in any suitable manner.

In a second dimension (vertically in FIG. 3), the blocks 30 are orderedon the basis of the channel of the recording represented thereby. Thechannels are identified by display of the names 33 of each channel. Thechannels may be all available channels or may be a set of one or morechannels selected by the user as favorite channels.

The controller 14 allows the user to navigate the EPG and to selectindividual services and events. The controller 14 accepts user-inputsindicating events in the EPG selected by the user for recording. Inresponse to such user-inputs, the controller 14 controls the operationof the recording apparatus 1 at the time of the event to cause thereceiver-decoder circuit 2 to receive and decode the event andoptionally also to cause the recording unit 3 to record the event.

The controller 14 also allows the EPG to be filtered in response to acorresponding user-input. In this case the programs in the EPG arefiltered to select programs according to a particular criteria. Anysuitable criteria may be applied. One possible criteria is whether theprograms are in a given genre or category, e.g. soap operas, newsprograms, sports programs, news, drama, children's programs, movies,etc. Such genre information may be obtained in respect of the programsas part of the signalling data. Another possible criteria is whether akeyword or set of keywords is present. Another possible criteria iswhether The user may select the criteria which is applied, e.g. from adisplayed list.

The controller 14 controls the graphics generator 19 to generate a videosignal representing the filtered EPG in which only the selected programsare shown.

An example of the filtered EPG as displayed is shown in FIG. 4. In thisexample, the criteria used is to select programs which are soap operas.The format of the EPG is basically the same as that shown in FIG. 3except that blocks 30 are only included for programs which are selectedas being soap operas. Thus there are no blocks 30 at times when theprogram is not a soap opera, eg on Tuesday 02 on BBC 1 from 20:00 to21:00.

Channels in which there are no selected programs are not displayed.Thus, in the example of FIG. 4, the final channel “Film 4” of FIG. 3 isnot included because that channel includes no soap operas, being a moviechannel.

Furthermore, the time axis represented by the scale 31 hasdiscontinuities present at times when there is no selected programacross all displayed channels. The discontinuities in time arerepresented by graphical symbols 32 arranged between the blocks 30representing the programs. In the example of FIG. 4, there is arediscontinuities between Tuesday 02, 21:00 and Wednesday 03, 20:00 andbetween Wednesday 03, 21:00 and Friday 05, 19:30.

Furthermore, the graphical symbols 32 are different according to theperiod of the discontinuity. The differing graphical symbols 32 allowsthe user to identify the periods of the discontinuities. In thisexample, the graphical symbols 32 are different in pattern. Thus, thegraphical symbols 32 a representing a discontinuity of one day eachconsist of one dot and the graphical symbols 32 b representing adiscontinuity of two days each consist of two dots. In general, thegraphical symbols 32 could take any suitable form allowing thediscontinuities to be identified and the period of the discontinuitiesto be distinguished. Some further examples are described below.

The particular form of the displayed EPG assists the user inappreciating the nature of the selected programs. The two-dimensionalrepresentation of the recordings allows the user to better appreciateprecisely what programs have been selected. In particular, the channeland recording time are immediately apparent to the user, which in turnallows the user to understand the nature of the programs more rapidlyand more accurately. The display of discontinuities in time, especiallyin a manner that allows the user to identify the period of thediscontinuity, also assists the user in recognising the nature of theselected programs. For example, this assists in recognition of a seriesof related recordings. As an example of this, in FIG. 2 it is easy forthe user to recognise that the recordings on the channel labelled “BBC1” are a series of episodes of the same program (event). Furthermore, asthe period of the discontinuity can be identified, the labelling of thetime axis can be reduced, further simplifying the displayed EPG, forexample by reducing the amount of information displayed in the scale 31or by omitting the scale 31 altogether.

As another part of the user interface, the controller 14 maintains arecording list of recordings which are scheduled to be recorded in thefuture and a recoding list of recordings which have already beenrecorded. Data representing the recording lists is stored in the memory15 and/or the recording unit 3. The data identifies all the recordingsin the recording lists. The recordings are typically individual events(programs), for example if generated from the EPG, but in general therecording could cover part of an event or plural events.

The data representing the recording lists also includes metadata inrespect of each recording. The metadata comprises various types ofinformation about the recording, including but not restricted to thefollowing. The metadata represents the service (channel) from which therecording is scheduled to be made, or was made. The metadata alsorepresents the recording time at which the recording is scheduled to bemade, or was made, for example by indicating the start time and end timeof the recording.

The controller 14 controls the recording apparatus 1 to make recordingsin accordance with the recording list of recordings which are scheduledto be recorded. In particular at the recording time specified by themetadata, the controller 14 causes the receiver-decoder circuit 2 toreceive and decode the service (channel) specified by the metadata andcauses the recording unit 3 to record the television signal output bythe receiver-decoder circuit 2.

In response to a user-input from the remote commander 17 selecting thedisplay of the recording lists, the controller 14 controls the graphicsgenerator 19 to generate a video signal representing the recording listsfrom the stored data, as a type of user interface screen, in a similarmanner to the EPG. The controller 14 allows the user to navigate therecording lists and to make user-inputs for control of the recordingapparatus 1. When the recording list of programs scheduled to berecorded is displayed, the controller 14 accepts user-inputs indicatingchanges and in response thereto changes that recording list. Similarly,when the recording list of recordings which have already been recordedis displayed, the controller 14 accepts user-inputs selecting individualrecordings and in response thereto controls the operation of therecording apparatus 1 to reproduce the selected recording from therecording unit 3.

The form of the recording lists as displayed is now described withreference to FIG. 2 which shows an example of a displayed recording listin the case of a recording apparatus 1 having plural receiver-decodercircuits allowing plural services (channels) to be simultaneouslyreceived and recorded. The recording list shown in FIG. 2 may be a listof recordings which are scheduled to be recorded in the future or a listof recordings which have already been made.

The recording list is displayed graphically. The individual recordingsare represented by rectangular blocks 20, although in general any othergraphical object could be used. The blocks contain the name of therecording, which may be the name of a program contained in therecording, for example taken from the EPG. The blocks 20 are arranged intwo dimensions.

In a first dimension (horizontally in FIG. 2), the blocks 20 are orderedon the basis of the recording times of the recording representedthereby. The time axis is indicated by a scale 21 displayed graphicallyalong the top of the display. In this example the scale 21 specifies thedate and specifies the time in half-hourly chunks, but in general thetime axis could be displayed in any suitable manner.

Furthermore, the time axis represented by the scale 21 hasdiscontinuities. The discontinuities in time are represented bygraphical symbols 22 arranged between the blocks 20 representing therecordings. Thus the discontinuities are present at times when there isno recording in the recording list. In the example of FIG. 2, there isare discontinuities between Tuesday 02, 21:00 and Friday 05, 20:00 andbetween Friday 05, 20:30 and Tuesday 09, 19:30.

Furthermore, the graphical symbols 22 are different according to theperiod of the discontinuity. The differing graphical symbols 22 allowsthe user to identify the periods of the discontinuities. In thisexample, the graphical symbols 22 are different in pattern. Thus, thegraphical symbols 22 a representing a discontinuity of three days eachconsist of three dots and the graphical symbols 22 b representing adiscontinuity of four days each consist of four dots. In general, thegraphical symbols 22 could take any suitable form allowing thediscontinuities to be identified and the period of the discontinuitiesto be distinguished. Some further examples are described below.

In a second dimension (vertically in FIG. 2), the blocks 20 are orderedon the basis of the channel of the recording represented thereby. Thechannels are identified by display of the names 23 of each channel.

When generating the video signal for display, the controller 14 takesthe recording time and channel from the metadata stored in respect ofthe individual programs and generates the blocks 20 in appropriatepositions on the basis of that metadata.

The particular form of the displayed recording list assists the user inappreciating the nature of the recordings contained in the recordinglists. The two-dimensional representation of the recordings allows theuser to better appreciate precisely what recordings have been made orare scheduled for recording. In particular, the channel and recordingtime are immediately apparent to the user, which in turn allows the userto understand the nature of the recordings more rapidly and moreaccurately. The display of discontinuities in time, especially in amanner that allows the user to identify the period of the discontinuity,also assists the user in recognising the nature of the recordings. Forexample this assists in recognition of a series of related recordings.As an example of this, in FIG. 2 it is easy for the user to recognisethat the recordings on the channel labelled “BBC 1” are a series ofepisodes of the same program (event). Furthermore, as the period of thediscontinuity can be identified, the labelling of the time axis can bereduced, further simplifying the recording list, for example by reducingthe amount of information displayed in the scale 21 or by omitting thescale 21 altogether.

In the case of the recording list of recordings which have already beenmade, these advantages improve the operation of the recording apparatus1 because the user is better able to identify a program desired to bereproduced. As the recording apparatus 1 uses a high capacity recordingunit 3 such as a hard disk drives, a large number of recordings can bemade of which the user might not have a complete knowledge and so thereis a risk that a user cannot identify a recording which otherwise wouldbe desired.

In the case of the recording list of recordings which are scheduled tobe made, these advantages improve the operation by allowing the user tobetter manage the recording of multiple recordings. As the recordingapparatus 1 uses a high capacity recording unit 3 such as a hard diskdrives, a large number of recordings can be made

and being able to manage the scheduling of recordings improves theusability of the recording apparatus 1.

Although the recording apparatus 1 uses signals in accordance with theDVB standard, the invention could equally be applied to alternativestandards, such as the ARIB standard (for example, in Japan), or theATSC standard (for example, in the United States).

Although the recording apparatus 1 is arranged to receive a terrestrialradio frequency television broadcast signal, it may be modified toreceive any type of broadcast television signal. It may receive asatellite broadcast signal. It may receive a television signal deliveredover a cable, commonly referred to as cable-TV. In this case therecording apparatus 1 has basically the same structure as shown in FIG.1 except that the connection to the external antenna 3 is replaced by aconnection to the cable. Another alternative is a television signaldelivered over a network which may be a wired network such as theinternet or a LAN or may be a wireless network. For example in the caseof delivery over the internet, the television signals may be IPTV(Internet Protocol television). In this case the recording apparatus 1has basically the same structure as shown in FIG. 1 except that thereceiver circuit 4 is replaced by a network interface arranged toreceive data from the data network and to extract a video streamtherefrom.

There will now be described alternative forms of graphical symbolsrepresenting discontinuities in time. Any of these may be used as analternative to the graphical symbols 32 in the displayed EPG, or as analternative to the graphical symbols 22 in the recordings list.

A first alternative is to use graphical symbols that are different insize. FIG. 5 illustrates graphical symbols 40 which are an example ofthis in that the graphical symbols 40 are the same shape, in this case adot, but of five different sizes. Each size of the graphical symbols 40represents a discontinuity of a different period, for example: less than24 hours, 1 day, 2-3 days, 4-7 days and more than a week, respectively.

A second alternative is to use graphical symbols that are different inshape. FIG. 6 illustrates graphical symbols 41 which are an example ofthis in that the graphical symbols 41 are of different shapes, in thiscase being an eighth, a quarter, a half and a complete circle,respectively. Each shape of the graphical symbols 41 represents adiscontinuity of a different period, for example: less than 24 hours,1-2 days, 3-7 days and more than a week, respectively.

A third alternative is to use graphical symbols that are different incolour. By way of example, different colours may be used to representdiscontinuities of a different periods in accordance with the followingtable:

Colour Period Red less than 1 hour Orange 1 to 2 hours Yellow 2 to 4hours Green 4 to 8 hours Blue 8 to 12 hours Indigo 12 to 24 hours Violet1 to 2 days White 2 days to 1 week Black 1 to 2 weeks Cyan 2 weeks to 1month Magenta more than 1 month

A fourth alternative is to use graphical symbols that are different inpattern in some other manner than the graphical symbols 22 and 32. FIG.7 illustrates graphical symbols 42 which are an example of this in thatthe graphical symbols 42 are either a graphical symbol 42 a that is aclock for discontinuities of less than 12 hours in which an hour handindicates the period of the discontinuity in hours (a period of threehours being illustrated as an example in FIG. 7) or a graphical symbol42 b that is a calendar in which shading indicates the period of thediscontinuity in days (four days being illustrated as an example in FIG.7).

A fifth alternative is to use graphical symbols that are different inany combination of pattern, size, shape and colour.

In all alternatives, a key or legend may be displayed to indicate theperiods represented by the different graphical symbols.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A television signal recording apparatuscomprising: a recording unit capable of making recordings of televisionsignals, the television signal recording apparatus being arranged tostore metadata representing information in respect of the recordingsincluding a channel from which a recording was made and a recording timeat which the recording was made; and a recordings display generatorarranged to generate a signal for display on a display device of agraphical display of the recordings, the graphical display comprisinggraphical objects representing respective recordings and arranged in twodimensions, the graphical objects being ordered in a first dimension ona basis of channels represented by the metadata in respect of therespective recordings and ordered in a second dimension on a basis ofrecording times represented by the metadata in respect of the respectiverecordings, along a time axis which includes discontinuities at timeswhen no recording has been made, the discontinuities being graphicallyrepresented, wherein the discontinuities are graphically represented bya graphical symbol positioned between the graphical objects representingrespective recordings, and wherein said graphical symbols are differentaccording to a period of discontinuity.
 2. A television signal recordingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein said graphical symbols aredifferent in any combination of: colour, shape, size or pattern.
 3. Atelevision signal recording apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising a receiver-decoder circuit capable of receiving and decodingthe television signals.
 4. A television signal recording apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising a display device, therecordings display generator being arranged to supply said signal fordisplay of a graphical display of the recordings to the display device.5. A television signal recording apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising a video output interface for outputting a video signal, therecordings display generator being arranged to supply said signal fordisplay of a graphical display of the recordings to the video outputinterface.
 6. A method of operating a television signal recordingapparatus including a recording unit capable of making recordings oftelevision signals, the television signal recording apparatus beingarranged to store metadata representing information in respect of therecordings including a channel from which a recording was made and arecording time at which the recording was made, the method comprisinggenerating a signal for display on a display device of a graphicaldisplay of the recordings, the graphical display comprising graphicalobjects representing respective recordings and arranged in twodimensions, the graphical objects being ordered in a first dimension ona basis of channels represented by the metadata in respect of therespective recordings and ordered in a second dimension on a basis ofrecording times represented by the metadata in respect of the respectiverecordings, along a time axis which includes discontinuities at timeswhen no recording has been made, the discontinuities being graphicallyrepresented, wherein the discontinuities are graphically represented bya graphical symbol positioned between graphical objects representingrespective recordings, and wherein said graphical symbols are differentaccording to a period of discontinuity.
 7. A method according to claim6, wherein said graphical symbols are different in any combination of:colour, shape, size or pattern.
 8. A television signal recordingapparatus comprising: a recording unit capable of making recordings oftelevision signals; a recordings controller arranged to maintain a listof scheduled recordings scheduled to be recorded at respective times andto operate the recording unit to record the recordings at the scheduledtimes; and a recordings display generator arranged to generate a signalfor display on a display device of a graphical display of the scheduledrecordings, the graphical display comprising graphical objectsrepresenting respective scheduled recordings and arranged, on a basis oftheir respective times, along a time axis which includes discontinuitiesat times when no recording is scheduled to be made, the discontinuitiesbeing graphically represented, wherein the discontinuities aregraphically represented by a graphical symbol positioned betweengraphical objects representing respective recordings, and wherein saidgraphical symbols are different according to a period of discontinuity.9. A television signal recording apparatus according to claim 8, whereinsaid graphical symbols are different in any combination of: colour,shape, size or pattern.
 10. A television signal recording apparatusaccording to claim 8, wherein the television signal recording apparatusis arranged to store metadata representing information in respect of therecordings made by the recording unit including a recording time atwhich a recording was made, and the recordings display generator isfurther arranged to generate a signal for display on a display device ofa graphical display of the recordings made by the recordings unit, thegraphical display comprising graphical objects representing respectivescheduled recordings and arranged, on a basis of their respective times,along a time axis which includes discontinuities at times when norecording has been made, the discontinuities being graphicallyrepresented.
 11. A television signal recording apparatus according toclaim 8, wherein the recordings controller is arranged to maintain thelist of scheduled recordings scheduled to be recorded from respectivechannels at respective times and to operate the recording unit to recordthe recordings from scheduled channels at the scheduled times, and inthe graphical display, the graphical objects are arranged in twodimensions with a time axis extending in a first dimension and thegraphical objects being ordered in a second dimension on a basis of thescheduled channels.
 12. A television signal recording apparatusaccording to claim 8, further comprising a receiver-decoder circuitcapable of receiving and decoding the television signals.
 13. Atelevision signal recording apparatus according to claim 8, furthercomprising a display device, the recordings display generator beingarranged to supply said signal for display of a graphical display of therecordings to the display device.
 14. A television signal recordingapparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a video outputinterface for outputting a video signal, the recordings displaygenerator being arranged to supply said signal for display of agraphical display of the recordings to the video output interface.
 15. Amethod of operating a television signal recording apparatus including arecording unit capable of making recordings of television signals, themethod comprising: maintaining a list of scheduled recordings scheduledto be recorded at respective times and operating the recording unit torecord the recordings at the scheduled times; and generating a signalfor display on a display device of a graphical display of the scheduledrecordings, the graphical display comprising graphical objectsrepresenting respective scheduled recordings and arranged, on a basis oftheir respective times, along a time axis which includes discontinuitiesat times when no recording is scheduled to be made, the discontinuitiesbeing graphically represented, wherein the discontinuities aregraphically represented by a graphical symbol positioned betweengraphical objects representing respective recordings, and wherein saidgraphical symbols are different according to a period of discontinuity.16. A method according to claim 15, wherein said graphical symbols aredifferent in any combination of: colour, shape, size or pattern.
 17. Amethod according to claim 15, wherein the television signal recordingapparatus is arranged to store metadata representing information inrespect of the recordings made by the recording unit including arecording time at which a recording was made, and the method furthercomprises generating a signal for display on a display device of agraphical display of the recordings made by the recordings unit, thegraphical display comprising graphical objects representing respectivescheduled recordings and arranged, on a basis of their respective times,along a time axis which includes discontinuities at times when norecording has been made, the discontinuities being graphicallyrepresented.
 18. A method according to claim 15, comprising maintaininga list of scheduled recordings scheduled to be recorded from respectivechannels at respective times and to operate the recording unit to recordthe recordings from scheduled channels at the scheduled times, andwherein, in the graphical display, the graphical objects are arranged intwo dimensions with a time axis extending in a first dimension and thegraphical objects being ordered in a second dimension on a basis of thescheduled channels.
 19. A receiver-decoder apparatus comprising: areceiver-decoder circuit capable of receiving and decoding broadcasttelevision signals of different services to generate therefrom a videosignal for display of an image on a display device; and an EPG generatoroperative to extract signalling data from a broadcast television signalreceived by the receiver-decoder circuit, the signalling data indicatingprograms scheduled to be broadcast, the EPG generator being operative tofilter the programs scheduled to be broadcast to select programs meetinga predetermined criteria and to generate a signal for display on saiddisplay device of an electronic program guide comprising graphicalobjects representing selected programs arranged along a time axis whichincludes discontinuities at times when no selected program is scheduledto be broadcast, the discontinuities being graphically represented, thediscontinuities being graphically represented by a graphical symbolpositioned between graphical objects representing respective recordings,said graphical symbols being different according to a period ofdiscontinuity.
 20. A method according to claim 19, wherein saidgraphical symbols are different in any combination of: colour, shape,size or pattern.
 21. A receiver-decoder apparatus according to claim 19,wherein, in the electronic program guide, the graphical objects arearranged in two dimensions with a time axis extending in a firstdimension and the graphical objects being ordered in a second dimensionon a basis of channels on which the selected programs are scheduled tobe recorded.
 22. A receiver-decoder apparatus according to claim 21,wherein, in the electronic program guide, channels in which no selectedprograms are scheduled to be recorded are not included.
 23. Areceiver-decoder apparatus according to claim 21, wherein saidelectronic program guide only includes a set of one or morepredetermined channels.
 24. A receiver-decoder apparatus according toclaim 19, wherein said predetermined criteria is defined by user-input.25. A receiver-decoder apparatus according to claim 19, wherein saidpredetermined criteria is whether a program falls in a particular genreor category.
 26. A receiver-decoder apparatus according to claim 19,further comprising a recording unit capable of making recordings oftelevision signals.
 27. A receiver-decoder apparatus according to claim19, further comprising a display device, the EPG generator beingarranged to supply the signal for display of an electronic program guideto the display device.
 28. A receiver-decoder apparatus according toclaim 19, further comprising a video output interface for outputting avideo signal, the EPG generator being arranged to supply the signal fordisplay of an electronic program guide to the video output interface.29. A method of operating a receiver-decoder apparatus which comprises areceiver-decoder circuit capable of receiving and decoding broadcasttelevision signals of different services to generate therefrom a videosignal for display of an image on a display device, the methodcomprising extracting signalling data from a broadcast television signalreceived by the receiver-decoder circuit, the signalling data indicatingprograms scheduled to be broadcast, filtering the programs scheduled tobe broadcast to select programs meeting a predetermined criteria, andgenerating a signal for display on said display device of an electronicprogram guide comprising graphical objects representing selectedprograms arranged along a time axis which includes discontinuities attimes when no selected program is scheduled to be broadcast, thediscontinuities being graphically represented by a graphical symbolpositioned between graphical objects representing respective recordings,said graphical symbols being different according to a period ofdiscontinuity.
 30. A method according to claim 29, wherein saidgraphical symbols are different in any combination of: colour, shape,size or pattern.
 31. A method according to claim 29, wherein in theelectronic program guide, the graphical objects are arranged in twodimensions with a time axis extending in a first dimension and thegraphical objects being ordered in a second dimension on a basis ofchannels on which the programs are scheduled to be recorded.
 32. Amethod according to claim 31, wherein, in the electronic program guide,channels in which no selected programs are scheduled to be recorded arenot included.
 33. A method according to claim 31, wherein saidelectronic program guide only includes a set of one or morepredetermined channels.
 34. A method according to claim 29, wherein saidpredetermined criteria is defined by user-input.
 35. A method accordingto claim 29, wherein said predetermined criteria is whether a programfalls in a particular genre or category.
 36. A method according to claim29, further comprising supplying the signal for display of an electronicprogram guide to the display device.